I WALK into a nightclub where a furry bunny rabbit, a clan of gothic men and something resembling sunshine surround me.

I can listen to whatever music takes my fancy. I can look like who ever I want, and if I get bored, I can transport myself to the local casino or try my hand at skydiving.

This isn’t some drunken Saturday night dream, Echo readers, but an actual virtual world created by people for the people. It’s called Second Life.

Set up by Philip Rosedale, Second Life is an internet world where thousands of people can interact all at the same time. Already a cultural phenomenon in America, it is now emerging over here.

Jim Purbrick, a senior software engineer for the site, who is based in the Midlands, told the Echo: “You can log onto the site free of charge. You can choose who you want to be by designing your own character

“Some people act like themselves while others explore their personalities and appearances. Some look like animals. Some look like robots. Some men decide to appear as females.”

At the moment, the site has more than 340,000 residents. This means they have actually bought, with the land’s currency, a plot of land. Some use the land to set up businesses, selling graphics to those who use the site.

“The virtual world has absolutely everything,” said Jim. “You can go night clubbing or to the race track. We have created cloud simulations so it feels like your character is actually skydiving.”

“At the weekend, some of the characters did a sponsored walk around the world for American Cancer Research. We raised $40,000.”

With a sense of a virtual community being generated, is this perhaps a new alternative for meeting your idyllic life partner – even if they do look like a ray of sunshine or a furry looking bunny rabbit?

Jim said: “You can meet lots of good friends in Second Life. It’s a very social and communion lifestyle. You could well form a meaningful relationship with someone, because it’s so much deeper than your average chat room.

“I’ve heard of lots of cases where people have met on Second Life from different countries only to meet up in the real world and make a go of it.”

But are people becoming so socially excluded they’re turning to virtual night clubbing rather than the real thing? Isn’t this rather a sad concept? Jim whole-heartedly disagrees.

He said: “No, not at all. Meeting in Second Life is the same as meeting in real life. You still have to talk and build up friendships.

“Second Life offers new opportunities. If you live in the countryside or in a remote location, this offers you the chance to meet a larger community.”

But is there a seedy underbelly?

Last month, New Scientist found that active communities had blossomed, such as a red light district called Amsterdam, where players pose as escorts and charge for their services.

Jim said: “There are a lot of rumours about these places but Second Life is a world where people are allowed to do whatever they want.”

So, what type of people is Second Life attracting?

“It’s mixed. There’s slightly more males than females but the females tend to stay on-line longer. The average age is around 33 plus. It’s not the kind of geeky all-male community you’d expect.”

I think anyone who spends their hard-earned money on a virtual character – be it a dress, pair of shoes or a skydive – needs to perhaps question their sanity!

But in a world where our computers are becoming our social tools and our work sucks our social lives, are we all in danger of becoming characters in Second Life? I’ll let you ponder that thought.